Rats, mice and other rodents are a cause of concern for businesses and homeowners alike. Rodents are an indication of unsanitary conditions, and their history of spreading disease may frighten customers. Because they often live and travel in garbage, sewers and other unsanitary areas, rodents can spread bacteria and disease such as Salmonella, E. coli and dysentery. A single rodent sighting can drive a customer away for good or result in inspection evaluations that negatively impact a business. Rodents may also destroy valuable food inventory, and their gnawing and burrowing may cause costly structural damage.
Many homes and businesses deploy a variety of traps, such as mechanical or bait-based traps, throughout a business' physical premises and facilities to achieve a reduction and/or elimination of rodents. These actions can be undertaken to insure inspection compliance, to maintain sanitary conditions, reduce spoilage, comply with applicable laws and regulations, and/or increase consumer confidence.
Physical inspections of each and every trap at a facility may be performed at desired time intervals (e.g., daily, weekly or monthly). During these inspections, a technician may insure that captured rodents are removed from the trap, that the trap is in working order, and that the trap is still in the proper location. Records of trap maintenance may be kept on labels affixed to the interiors or exteriors of the trap. The labels are difficult to write on, and may fall off or become unreadable due to weathering. Moreover, if labels are accessible to rodents, the rodents may chew on, defecate on or otherwise soil the labels, raising sanitary, and disease concerns for maintenance personnel, as well as possibly making the labels unreadable.